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PAJIPHLETS 


ON 


THE  COUNTRY  CITURCH 


vol.    2 


1 


Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life,  the  Board  of  Home 
Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.S.  A.,  156  Fifth 
Avenue,  Xew  York. 


The  Parish  House 
in  the  Country 
Community 

By  ANNA  B.  TAFT 


"The  'play  of  the  spirit'  is  not  an  empty- 
phrase.  It  is  always  the  spirit  that  plays. 
Our  bodies  only  work.  Play  is  the  pursuit  of 
ideals.  When  released  from  the  daily  work, — 
the  mill  we  have  to  tread  in  order  to  live, — 
then  we  strive  to  become  what  we  would  be  if 
we  could.  "When  we  are  free  we  pursue 
those  ideals  which  indicate  and  create  charac- 
ter. If  they  lead  us  toward  wholesome  things, 
then  our  lives  are  rounded  out,  balanced  and 
significant." 

This  problem  of  social  life  confronts  the 
church  to-day.  The  natural  leadership  of 
the  church  in  the  country  community  makes 
it  the  organization  best  fitted  to  promote  and 
control  the  social  life  of  the  locality.  To  do 
this  adequately  there  is  need  of  a  building 
or  a  room  apart  from  the  church,  geograph- 
ically if  not  really.  Here  may  be  held  soci- 
ables, suppers,  concerts,  fairs  and  the  orthodox 
round  of  church  activities  that  have  been 
handed  down  to  us  from  our  ancestors.  Here 
should  enter  also  a  more  aggressive  work  for 
the  young  people.  Boys'  clubs,  girls'  clubs, 
entertainments,    plays, — in    fact,    a    social    life 


as  interesting  and  fascinating  as  the  most 
fertile    mind    can    conceive. 

One  pastor  who  has  struggled  for  years  with 
the  Country  Church  problem  says:  "Such  a 
building  is  an  asset  of  power  to  the  Church. 
It  ministers  to  the  community  and  enables 
the  Church  to  discharge  its  duties  in  reference 
to  the  social  needs  of  the  people.  It  increases 
the  social  power  of  the  Church  and  supplies 
a  place  for  social  gatherings  that  is  superior 
to  any  public  hall,  because  it  is  under  the 
care  of  the  Church." 

This  work  must  be  modified  by  local  condi- 
tions. In  the  small  towns  that  are  fortunate 
enough  to  have  only  one  church,  the  house 
may  be  under  its  care  directly.  Where  the 
community  has  several  churches,  to  work  to- 
gether in  a  neighborhood  house,  may  be  the 
first  step  toward  federation.  It  has  wisely 
been  said  that  in  the  country  social  life  is 
a  simple  unit.  When  a  country  community  is 
composed  of  cliques  and  groups  and  inde- 
pendent associations,  the  whole  fabric  of 
rural  society  is  injured.  In  the  average 
country  town  to-day  the  old-fashioned  warmth 
and  cordial  hospitality  that  were  so  notice- 
able a  generation  ago  have  departed.  Some 
homes  still  cherish  as  households  this  gra- 
cious atmosphere,  but  as  a  community  the 
social  life  is  chilled  and  formal,  and  there 
is  none  of  the  old  "getting  together"  with  the 
joy  of  a  common  interest  and  a  common 
experience  which  makes  a  people  one.  To  re- 
vive this  community  sympathy  may  well  be 
one  of  the  missions  of  the  Parish  House.  This 
is  not  an  unattainable  ideal;  in  many  places 
community  salvation  is  being  worked  out 
through  this  simple  vehicle  for  the  social  life 
of  the  people. 

An  example  of  a  successful  and  inexpensive 
Parish  House,  directly  under  the  care  of  the 
one  church,  is  in  the  village  of  West  Cum- 
mington.    Mass.,    a    little   community   fourteen 


miles  from  a  railroad  or  trolley,  back  in  the 
hills  of  Hampshire  County.  The  work  was 
started  by  the  women  of  the  church,  and 
born  of  a  realization  of  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  giving  a  wholesome  social  life  to  the 
young  people  of  the  locality,  or  facing  the 
problem  of  rural  degenerac3^  in  the  next 
generation. 

An  abandoned  church  of  another  denomina- 
tion was  purchased  for  a  small  amount,  reno- 
vated, and  a  very  suitable  parish  home  was 
the  result.  This  suggests  a  wholesome  use 
for  many  superfluous  churches  in  communities 
where  overlapping  is  an  aggravated  problem. 

The  equipment  for  the  Parish  House  was 
partly  contributed  by  friends,  but  largely 
obtained  by  the  people  themselves,  who  grad- 
ually raised  the  money  by  entertainments  and 
social  gatherings. 

Regularly  one  evening  a  week  the  house 
is  open  for  the  parish — often  many  evenings 
beside — with  a  diversity  of  program  that  is 
extensive  and  interesting.  Amateur  dramat- 
ics are  a  verj^  popular  form  of  entertainment, 
and  creditable  and  artistic  results  are  often 
obtained.  The  house  is  patronized  not  only 
by  the  young  people,  but  is  a  meeting  place 
for  the  older  ladies,  who  bring  their  fancy 
work,  enjoy  a  social  hour  of  common  interest, 
and  sympathetically  share  the  more  jolly 
time   of   the   young   people   about   them. 

Another  interesting  and  successful  Parish 
House  is  in  McClellandtown,  Pa.,  under  the 
charge  of  Rev.  Charles  O.  Bemies,  a  Presby- 
terian minister.  This  is  a  small  community, 
with  a  problem  complicated  by  a  foreign  popu- 
lation. So  democratic  and  genuine  is  the 
spirit  of  this  Brotherhood  Building  that  it  is 
a  real  community  center,  where  gather  the 
farmers,  miners  and  foreigners  to  share  a 
common  life.     Mr.   Bemies   says   of  the  work: 

"To  meet  the  situation  in  our  community, 
we  erected  what  we  call  a  Brotherhood  Build- 


ing-  72x42,  with  a  large  auditorium,  inclined 
floor,  platform  or  stage  with  dressing-  rooms; 
a  gymnasium,  bath  and  dressing  rooms 
in  the  basement,  besides  a  well  equipped 
kitchen.  The  building  is  fitted  with  hot 
water,  natural  gas  and  electric  light  facilities. 
This  building  is  designed  and  successfully 
used  for  our  Young  People's  meeting  and 
preaching  service  on  Sunday  evening,  as  the 
church  is  a  mile  out  of  town, — for  the  Ladies' 
Aid  Society,  lectures  of  various  kinds,  enter- 
tainments and  lecture  courses,  concerts  and 
entertainments  by  local  and  outside  talent, 
mining  institutes,  literary  society,  farmers'  in- 
stitutes, teachers'  institutes,  school  commence- 
ments, amateur  plays,  special  occasions,  such 
as  Children's  Day  and  Christmas  entertain- 
ment, revival  services,  Slovak  meetings,  Sun- 
day-school conventions,  Bible  classes,  public 
meetings  for  community  improvement,  socials, 
festivals,  basket-ball  games  and  whatever  is 
for  the  general  welfare  of  the  church  and 
community.  We  could  not  measurably  fulfill 
Christ's  conception  of  His  Kingdom  without 
the  Brotherhood   Building." 

The  Neighborhood  House  at  Weatogue, 
Conn.,  is  doing  the  same  constructive  work,  on 
a  more  elaborate  scale  and  without  connection 
with  any  one  church,  but  upholding  the  Chris- 
tian ideals  in  an  admirable  work  in  a  rural 
community.  Rev.  Charles  P.  Croft,  a  Con- 
gregational minister,  is  the  organizer  and 
promoter  of  the  work.  The  Neighborhood 
House,  a  beautiful  old  Colonial  residence,  was 
the  birthplace  of  Mrs.  Croft  and  given  by  her 
for  the  use  of  the  community.  Interested 
friends  have  aided  in  its  equipment  and  main- 
tenance, and  under  its  hospitable  roof  all 
kinds  of  religious  services  and  social  func- 
tions are  held.  There  is  a  library  open  on 
Saturday  evenings,  a  play  room,  and  usually 
an  entertainment  once  a  week,  where  home 
talent  is  utilized  as   much  as  possible.     Aside 


from  this,  a  large  variety  of  concerts  and 
stereopticon  lectures  are  held,  and  socials 
where  dancing  Is  allowed  but  not  advertised. 
Sunday  evening  there  is  always  a  religious 
service. 

The  House  has  no  organization,  except  com- 
mittees, which  are  appointed  as  needed.  Every 
attendant  is  supposed  to  be  interested  in 
the  common  good,  and  nearly  every  family  in 
the  neighborhood  is  identified  in  sorne  way, 
and  deeply  and  happily  interested. 

Aside  from  the  regular  gatherings  of  the 
House,  It  is  frequently  used  by  the  people 
for  family  gatherings,  wedding  celebrations, 
young  people's  parties,  "Grand  Army"  din- 
ners, and  many  other  community  affairs.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  whole- 
some -  influence  of  such  a  social  center  in  a 
country  town;  democratic,  constructive  and 
sympathetic,  it  makes  possible  the  survival 
of  community  hospitality  and  the  wholesome 
development  of  the  boys  and  girls.  It  is  an 
old,  trite  but  true  saying  that  "All  work  and 
no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy."  Unfortu- 
nately we  have  too  many  young  people  in  the 
country  dull  and  stupid  for  the  very  reason 
that  they  never  have  an  opportunity  to  play 
as  they  should;  there  has  been  no  whole- 
some recreation  to  counteract  the  deadly  mon- 
otony of  their  daily  task. 

To-day  there  is  dawning  a  new  vision  of 
the  importance  of  the  Country  Church  to 
grapple  with  the  problem  of  its  own  com- 
munity; with  it  comes  forcibly  to  the  front 
the  question  of  the  social  life  of  the  people. 
This  is  particularly  important  for  the  young 
people,  to  whom  "having  a  good  time"  is  a 
very  just  essential.  The  question  is.  How  is 
the  church  not  only  to  meet  but  to  handle 
this  natural  and  fundamental  need  of  the 
youth  in  its  midst?  The  day  is  fortunately 
passing  when  the  social  activities  of  boys 
and  girls  are  frowned  upon  by  the  church,  but 


the  day  is  only  beginning  to  dawn  when  the 
church  as  an  organization  is  recognizing  the 
ethical  value  of  recreation  and  using  it  for 
the  development  of  the  character  of  those  who 
are  its  special  charge,  so  that  in  the  end  this 
natural  yearning  shall  prove  a  blessing  and 
not  a  curse. 

Jane  Addams,  out  of  more  than  twenty 
years'  experience  of  deeply  religious  social 
service,  reminds  us  "To  fail  to  provide  for 
the  recreation  of  youth,  is  not  only  to  de- 
prive all  of  them  of  their  natural  form  of 
expression,  but  is  certain  to  subject  some 
of  them  to  the  overwhelming  temptations  of 
illicit  and  soul-destroying  pleasures." 


THE  WILLETT  PRESS,  N.  X. 


